German nobility to auction heirlooms

FURNITURE, paintings, ceramics and tapestries collected by generations of German aristocrats are to go under the hammer for the first time at a mass auction styled on British sales.

Germany's nobility has been rummaging in its cellars and attics for centuries-old works of art for the auction this autumn. The antiques are expected to fetch more than £3 million when offered by Sotheby's in October at Schloss Monrepos in Ludwigsburg. There will be 2,500 lots from 25 castles.

Claudia Herrgen, Sotheby's spokesman, said that the success of similar sales in Britain had inspired Germany's aristocracy to hold auctions, rather than selling their property in individual lots. She said: "The only time such sales have taken place in the past was when they were forced, either to clear debts or to get rid of collections after a death."

After the dissolution of the monarchy in Germany in 1918 and the division of the country after the Second World War, many of the nobility had to give up some of their ancestral homes and move their possessions to other properties, where there was limited space. As a result objets d'art were stored in attics and cellars, where they remained unseen and largely forgotten.

Among those whose property is going up for sale are the Prince and Princess Leopold of Bavaria, Princess Christa of Prussia and the princely houses of Loewenstein and Hohenzollern. There are also works of art from the estates of the last Queen of Portugal and the last King of Bavaria.

The sale will be conducted in 13 sessions from October 9 to 14. An illustrated catalogue will be available in September.